Ride the Drive kicks cars to the curb, bikers and pedestrians take over Madison streets (video)

Madison's inaugural Ride the Drive lured thousands of bicyclists, pedestrians, in-line skaters and onlookers to the isthmus for six non-motorized hours Sunday morning along six miles of some of the city's busiest thoroughfares. With most of John Nolen Drive, part of East Washington and bits of Pinckney, Main, State and other streets closed to the usual cars and trucks, traffic speed dropped to a relaxed pace throughout the morning into early afternoon as parents pushing strollers navigated the lanes alongside cyclists and others seeking a new perspective on the central city.

Along the way, there were dancers on median strips, musicians around almost every bend, food carts, places to get your bike tuned up, friends to meet, acquaintances to see and other reasons to slow down and enjoy being part of the spectacle. While some of the streets along the route were familiar terrain for cyclists who are comfortable riding alongside motor vehicles, John Nolen Drive stood out as the core of Sunday's experience: With three lanes to choose from in each direction, pedaling under the Monona Terrace overpass -- alongside a handful of penny farthings (those old-fashioned bikes that have the huge front wheel), to the sound of Sean Michael Dargan's bagpipes -- was a particular blast.

The take-away from the experience: abundant smiles on people's faces, a sense of exhilaration and the feeling that there might be enough interest to repeat this event more than once a year - as is the case with similar events in cities including Portland and San Francisco.